Mopars Shoot It Out On The Dyno At The 2017 Nats!

Ever since the second automobile was built, gearheads have been battling each other like rock ’em sock ’em robots. There’s something about gasoline and gears that brings out the primal competitor in all of us. As early as 1878, motorized mayhem engulfed America. Back then, the state of Wisconsin offered a $10,000 prize to whoever could drive the fastest from Green Bay to Madison. True story. One thing those early racers soon discovered: junk breaks. The 201-mile road race was completed in 33 hours and 27 minutes for an average speed of 6 mph. The important thing here: two cars started the race, but just one finished.

In the intervening 139 years, vehicular and bodily damage from racing has simply become an accepted fact. This leads to the phenomenon that about five seconds after the typical wing nut decides he wants to go racing, the speed parts and the safety gear go in, and the functionality and drivability totally disappear. Adding insult to injury, guys buy tow trucks and trailers to move their racecars, meaning they never get to drive them the way they really want (if they’re completely honest with themselves). It’s the inevitable deal you make with the devil if you want to win races and live through it all.

You love stomping the loud pedal out on the mean streets, but that’s at odds with turning your pride and joy into a racecar. Unfortunately, scratching that competitive itch usually means losing the practical factor, or does it? That was certainly the sad state of affairs before Mopar Muscle created the Dyno Showdown sponsored by Petty’s Garage.

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Held at National Trail Raceway (Columbus, OH) in conjunction with the Mopar Nats each August, the Dyno Showdown allows street-driven, licensed, registered, and insured Mopars to truly race each other on a level playing field without having to be racecars. No need to hack up your interior for a rollbar, put a spool and slicks on it, build a science-project suspension, or yank everything out for a weight advantage. Just drive it through the gate and onto the dyno rollers. What could be simpler than that?!

The “dyno rollers” in question happen to be the Midwest Mobile Dynojet chassis dyno operated by Redline Motorsports out of Bloomington, IL. These guys do dyno events across the country and know how to get cars on and off the dyno safely and quickly. With a reputation for accurate, reproducible results, the Midwest Mobile Dyno was the only choice for us. Think of it as a portable racetrack, but without any of the hassle. It isn’t cheap, and that’s why we were so incredibly grateful to the guys at Petty’s Garage for picking up the tab. Petty’s Garage has its own Dynojet, but as a permanent in-ground piece of equipment, it can’t be easily relocated from Randleman, NC to Columbus!

Petty’s Garage did, however, bring a transporter chock full of cars and parts, which was displayed right next to the dyno. They brought out the Smithfield Foods Giveaway Superbird and a supercharged late-model Petty Challenger, not to mention a ton of parts that they were offering free installation on at The Nats. Visitors to the Petty transporter quickly learned that Petty’s Garage not only sells parts for late-model Dodges and Jeeps, but also builds complete cars, from late-model Hemi Challengers to classic restorations.

As for the Dyno Showdown, it was a one-day affair that went down on Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. (The Mopar Nats took place over the course of the entire weekend of August 11 – 13, 2017.) It was open to any street-legal Chrysler-/AMC-powered, Chrysler-/AMC-bodied vehicle that is registered, licensed, and insured. (Sadly, none of the AMCs at The Nats made an appearance at the dyno.) To make the playing field level, we divided the cars into one of four classes: Vintage Power-Adder, Vintage Naturally Aspirated, Late-Model Power-Adder, and Late-Model Naturally Aspirated.

Throughout the day, Mopar men and women made their way to the dyno with their machines, and signed up to compete. As competitors gathered, they watched their fellow Showdown competitors run on the dyno while emcee Clarence Barnes announced all the action. The beehive of activity also included photographer John Machaqueiro, who was rapidly photographing every car that competed, and your editor, who was dutifully broadcasting the live feed to the Mopar Muscle Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.

In all, 25 competitors crossed the dyno that Friday (plus a few race machines that asked real nice that we couldn’t say “no” to). We got four red-hot winners for our efforts. Rick Trunkett three-peated in the Vintage Power-Adder class in his 1972 Duster with a crazy 1,530 hp. (He even elected to forego a second back-up run. That’s confidence!) Luther Abel floored the crowd early and hung on to the lead with his 440-powered 1979 Duster in the Vintage Naturally Aspirated class (426 hp). Hellcats understandably had a stranglehold in the Late-Model Power-Adder class, and Ron Young’s 2015 Hellcat Challenger didn’t disappoint with 670 hp. Last but not least, the Late-Model Naturally Aspirated class was dominated in solid fashion by Jason Werner’s 2010 SRT8 Challenger (481 hp).

The biggest surprise of the day, however, was Larry Rose’s Hellcat-powered 1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE which laid down 617 hp in the Vintage Power-Adder class (click here for more). This is a car that shouldn’t even exist. Until now, a convincing, non-hacked-together Hellcat powertrain swap into a vintage Mopar has evaded all but the most well-equipped professional shops. Larry, egged-on by his wife, Kara, dove into the deep end, and figured it out on his own, using the engine, plumbing, harness, console, shifter, computer, pedals, and 8-speed automatic transmission from a totaled Hellcat. We liked it so much, we put it on the cover of the February 2018 issue of Mopar Muscle, and gave him the Mopar Muscle Dyno Showdown Editor’s Choice award.

Did you miss out this year? Don’t fret, the Mopar Muscle Dyno Showdown sponsored by Petty’s Garage will be back at The Nats next year. It’s free, it’s first-come, first-serve, and it’s happening at National Trail Raceway on Friday, August 12, 2018!

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Want more on the Mopar Muscle Dyno Showdown? Check out the 2016 results here and the 2015 results here!

The crew at Midwest Mobile Dyno has been helping us put on the Dyno Showdown at the Nats for a few years now. Their Dynojet portable dyno has proven to be reliable and accurate when the chips are down.Petty’s Garage stepped up huge this year by sponsoring our Dyno Showdown. Their booth at The Nats was a hub of activity all weekend long as they were offering free installation for parts purchased on site. They will be sponsoring the Dyno Showdown next year on August 12, 2018, so save the date!Competitors and passers-by could check out the latest dyno results in all four competition classes on the dry erase board, which was lovingly updated by emcee Clarence Barnes!There’s always a crowd gathered around the dyno when a car makes a run. The Dyno Showdown is centrally located in the manufacturer’s midway next to the dragstrip starting line at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH.Ted English poses with his 1969 Plymouth Road Runner at last year’s Dyno Showdown on August 12, 2016. Ted was the victim of a tragic accident on July 22, 2017, just three weeks before the 2017 Showdown. Ted was looking forward to the Dyno Showdown, so his wife, Janet, and his friends brought the GTX down one last time to run on the dyno. We remember Ted as a cheerful, outgoing soul and we will miss him!Our four trophies Sponsored by Petty’s garage were given to Luther Abel (Vintage Naturally Aspirated), Rick Trunkett (Vintage Power Adder), Jason Werner (Late-Model Naturally Aspirated), and Ron Young (Late-Model Power Adder). Our Editor’s Choice plaque went to Larry Rose and his Hellcat-powered 1970 Dodge Challenger.Last year, the top overall spot was snatched by Rick Trunkett and his twin-turbo 1972 Plymouth Duster, which recorded 1,320 hp at the rear wheels, which blew the tent off the dyno booth with its exhaust. This year, Trunkett easily bested his 2016 effort with 1,530 hp. This year we kept the tent clear of Trunkett’s downpipe!Will Cheek (left) and editor Hunkins (right) present competitor Jason Werner (2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8) with the Petty’s Garage Spirit award: one of Richard Petty’s signature cowboy hats signed by “The King” himself.